Rescue Operation Near Rochester in Near Record Cold

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - Nearly 20 members of the Rochester Fire Department and other emergency personnel were involved in the rescue of a motorist following a traffic crash along Highway 63 north of Rochester this morning.

A statement from the fire department says the crash victim was in a vehicle that rolled down a ravine near the 55th Street intersection shortly after 9 AM. The temperature at the time was close to 30-degrees below zero and the wind chill readings were between 55 and 60 below zero.

After forcing entry into the vehicle, blankets were used to try to warm up the woman while the firefighters extricated her from the wreckage. Once she was removed, a pulley system was deployed to pull her up a steep 60-foot section of the ravine to the roadway so she could be transported to St. Mary’s Hospital for treatment.

Her name and information about the extent of her injuries have not been released.